I adore Michael Ball. I saw him for the first time live three years ago and was blown away. He is wonderful with his fans and his singing range is amazing. He always sings something from Les Mis, usually Empty Tables and never disappoints.

I've seen him on all of his concert tours from 1993 onwards. You're right, he's a brilliant live performer. I've seen loads of singers over the years but Michael Ball knocks spots off most of them.

No gimmicks, no flying over the audience in some contraption, no half naked dancers gyrating round him - just a fantastic singer who has the entire audience on their feet at the end. Not to be missed.

I've seen him on all of his concert tours from 1993 onwards. You're right, he's a brilliant live performer. I've seen loads of singers over the years but Michael Ball knocks spots off most of them.

No gimmicks, no flying over the audience in some contraption, no half naked dancers gyrating round him - just a fantastic singer who has the entire audience on their feet at the end. Not to be missed.

New concert tour in April and I've booked already!

I saw him at Portsmouth Guildhall a couple of years ago. Just as you describe. If a singer can sing there is no need for fancy staging. I have been to three concerts where the staging was minimal - Michael Ball, Will Young (but with a bit of dancing from him) and Joe McElderry. All have brilliant voices and are fantastic live.

Just come back from a preview screening. Absolutely outstanding! Will do a full review on due course

Is it all singing or do they speak in it? Never seen the stage show and really dont know much about it but just watched the clips on Film 2013 and all the clips were singing clips. Not sure if I could sit through two and a half hours of non stop singing.

Is it all singing or do they speak in it? Never seen the stage show and really dont know much about it but just watched the clips on Film 2013 and all the clips were singing clips. Not sure if I could sit through two and a half hours of non stop singing.

Is it all singing or do they speak in it? Never seen the stage show and really dont know much about it but just watched the clips on Film 2013 and all the clips were singing clips. Not sure if I could sit through two and a half hours of non stop singing.

It's a sung-through musical - no dialogue at all onstage. In the movie there are a couple of ad-libs from Sacha Baron Cohen and a few lines of dialogue but nothing else. There would have been a huge outcry if they hadn't done it sung through.

Going to see Les Mis tomorrow! I absolutely can't wait - I've been a fan of the show since I was 14 and I think the movie will be a great adaptation in its own right. Am going to a matinee performance so the audience will hopefully be smaller and better behaved, as idiot patrons are the main reason I barely go to the cinema these days.

I'm so happy to see the movie has got so many Oscar nominations as I do think it will prove worthy.

Can I ask a question about the movie.
I've seen the stage show with Colm Wilkinson and LOVED it, I have the CD and adore the music.
However, I saw the trailer and it looks SOoooooooooooo bad. I mean in Mamma Mia it's OK that the actors cannot sing because it is a comedy and it's part of the charm/appeal, BUT in Les Mis, people were laughing at how bad the trailer was. Even Anne Hathway looks ridiculous.
Is the film actually good? Or is it just being hyped? Would really appreciate some honest feedback, Thanks

BUT in Les Mis, people were laughing at how bad the trailer was. Even Anne Hathway looks ridiculous.

You mustn't be reading the same reviews/blogs etc that I do - almost everyone I've read, and everyone I know, loved the trailer! And the majority of people have loved the film.

Of course Anne Hathaway looks ridiculous - she's playing a woman at the bottom of the social heap who's forced to turn to prostitution to save her child's life. Not the Disney princess role she usually plays. And she sounds astonishing - that's how I Dreamed A Dream should sound in my mind - it's a melancholy, woe is me song, not something to get the audience cheering - it's belted far too often on stage, whereas Anne seems to be really thinking about the lyrics.

The actors can sing (for the most part), and they're singing live, which is the beauty of it - it's raw and real. If you're expecting autotuned pop perfection, you'll be disappointed - it's not a happy plot, it shouldn't sound happy, and it's about normal human beings, so it shouldn't perfect either. If you go in with an open mind and don't expect perfection, on the other hand...

The actors can sing (for the most part), and they're singing live, which is the beauty of it - it's raw and real. If you're expecting autotuned pop perfection, you'll be disappointed - it's not a happy plot, it shouldn't sound happy, and it's about normal human beings, so it shouldn't perfect either. If you go in with an open mind and don't expect perfection, on the other hand...

I thought Russell Crowe's singing voice was dreadful. Compare it to Hugh Jackman who has experience of singing on stage and this is even more noticable.

I thought Russell Crowe's singing voice was dreadful. Compare it to Hugh Jackman who has experience of singing on stage and this is even more noticable.

That's why I said for the most part. Jackman, Barks and Hathaway are all theatre trained and Seyfried is opera trained - they're all singers. Crowe has apparently done some theatre, but he is the one who sounds noticeably bad in the trailers (leaving aside Helena Bonham Carter and Sacha Baron Cohen who are the comedy characters anyway).

I'm bracing myself for Stars to be very much below-par, and have heard Bring Him Home is love-it-or-hate-it, but I Dreamed a Dream and On My Own should make up for it.

You mustn't be reading the same reviews/blogs etc that I do - almost everyone I've read, and everyone I know, loved the trailer! And the majority of people have loved the film.

Of course Anne Hathaway looks ridiculous - she's playing a woman at the bottom of the social heap who's forced to turn to prostitution to save her child's life. Not the Disney princess role she usually plays. And she sounds astonishing - that's how I Dreamed A Dream should sound in my mind - it's a melancholy, woe is me song, not something to get the audience cheering - it's belted far too often on stage, whereas Anne seems to be really thinking about the lyrics.

The actors can sing (for the most part), and they're singing live, which is the beauty of it - it's raw and real. If you're expecting autotuned pop perfection, you'll be disappointed - it's not a happy plot, it shouldn't sound happy, and it's about normal human beings, so it shouldn't perfect either. If you go in with an open mind and don't expect perfection, on the other hand...

Thanks for feedback, given what you've said I'll give it a miss. If the trailer is representative of what's to come, not my bag, but then I suspected it might not be.
Singing live is fine for a trained professional, but the performances look extremely ropey in the trailer. Russel Crowe *shudder*
If you'd read my post you'd have seen that I am familiar with the musical and have seen it Live, I never expected Anne to be a Disney Princess.

Singing live is fine for a trained professional, but the performances look extremely ropey in the trailer. Russel Crowe *shudder*

Several of them are, as I said above. Seems a shame in my mind to give it a miss just because some of the performances are likely to be bad, but each to their own.

Quote:

If you'd read my post you'd have seen that I am familiar with the musical and have seen it Live, I never expected Anne to be a Disney Princess.

Then surely you expected her to look how she does? She looks exactly like a person in Fantine's situation would look, only much more realised than is possible onstage. I don't understand how she could be said to look ridiculous.

Looking forward to it. I love the record, but thats only 90 mins. I wonder what it will be like at almost 3 hours of singing.!
Can't help but compare them to the wondeful voices of the original stage show cast either. Can't think how Russell Crowe will sound singing 'Stars' and no-one can sing 'Bring him home' like Colm Wilkinson. These are just actors that can sing a little in the movie. Hope they do it justice